Baby rescued from rubble 35 hours after apartment collapse

Rescuers save a 10 month old baby at the scene of a collapsed section of an apartment in Magnitogorsk, Russia. Photo / via AP

Russian rescuers pulled an infant boy alive from the rubble of an apartment building, some 35 hours after a collapse that killed at least seven people and left dozens missing.

They found the baby after hearing cries amid the debris. A section of the 10-storey building in the city of Magnitogorsk collapsed on Monday following an explosion believed to have been triggered by a natural gas leak.

The baby's prognosis is unknown at this stage. His mother survived the collapse and went to hospital to identify him. Photo / AP

The child, who officials initially said was a girl, was seriously injured and his recovery prospects were unclear.

The boy's mother survived the collapse and went to a local hospital to identify him, state news agency Tass reported, citing the regional emergencies ministry. The child will be evacuated to Moscow by airplane for further treatment, Tass said.

Following the baby's rescue Russian crews pulled two more bodies from the rubble, bringing the death toll to nine.

Women react as they look at the scene of a collapsed building. Photo / AP

Damaged parts of a collapsed apartment building in Magnitogorsk. More than 30 people are still unaccounted for. Photo / AP

The regional emergency ministry said earlier Tuesday that 37 residents of the building had not been accounted for. Hopes of finding survivors were dimmed by the harsh cold: Temperatures overnight were around -18C.

"The child was saved because it was in a crib and wrapped warmly," regional governor Boris Dubrovsky was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

Emergency services carry a wounded man from the scene of the damaged apartment building. Photo / AP

Rescue crews had temporarily halted their search while workers tried to remove or stabilise sections of the building in danger of collapse.

Five people were hospitalised with injuries from the collapse in the city about 1400 kilometres southeast of Moscow, the emergency ministry said.

- AP